Electric time-switch.



PATENTED JAN. 31, 1905.

J. HELMSTADTBR, JR. ELECTRIC TIME SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC-11 1903- UNITED STATES Patented January 31, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

- ELECTRIC TIME-SWITCH SPECIFICATION forming part' or Letters Patent No.781,339, dated January 31, 1905.

" Application filed member 11, 1903. $erial No. 184,801.

To all whom/lit may concern:

Be it known that I, JAooB HELMsTAD'rER, Jr., a resident of McKeesport,in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Automatic Electric Switch OperatingDevices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, andexact description thereof.

My invention relates to an automatic electric-switch-operating device,and has for its object to provide a cheap, simple, and effectivemechanism for automatically lighting and extinguishing lamps atpredetermined times as, for instance, in shop-windows and similar placeswhere it is desired to have the lamps in operation only during aspecified period of timethus avoiding the annoyance, expense, andpossible neglect of personal service for such work.

My invention consists, generally stated, in the novel arrangement,construction, and combination of parts as hereinafter more specificallyset forth and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains toconstruct and use my improved automatic electric-switch-operating device1 will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanyingdrawings, in whieh- Figure 1 is a side elevation of two electricswitches, showing my improved operating device connected thereto. Fig. 2is a front elevation of the same.

Like symbols of reference herein indicate like parts in each of thefigures of the drawings.

As illustrated in the drawings, A represents a backing or support ofwood or other suitable material, upon which is mounted the double-poleelectric switches 1 2 of any suitable construction, and which have theirterminals 3 connected by positive and negative feed and distributingwires through the feed-box and to the current-receiving device,respectively, (not shown,) in the ordinary manner.

4 4 represent clock mechanisms of any of the well-known forms removablymounted in the standards a on the support A and are each provided withthe usual small dial whereby the operation of the mechanism hereinafterdescribed may be regulated. As in all well-known forms of alarmapparatus, the clock is provided with a device constructed to operate atthe time to which the hand on the small dial is set to move any form ofalarmreleasing apparatus for operating the alarm 5 through the rod 1),and this rod 6 is connected to a shaft 5, projecting through the clockfor a crank-arm 6 thereon, and on which is preferably mounted a smallgrooved roller 7. In the present mechanism this device operates in thewell-known manner to rotate the shaft 5 on each of the clocks 4 4E, andwith said shaft the crank-arm 6 and roller 7 thereon, while such shaft 5constitutes the winding-shaft for the small dial mechanism.

Extending around each of the switches 1 and 2 are the U-shapedspring-pieces 8 8, which are preferably formed of wire and provided ateach of their ends with the coiled sections 8 thereon for being fastenedin any desired manner to the support A, and so constructed thatspring-piece 8 will always tend to assume a horizontal position to saidsupport, while the other piece, 8, will always tend to assume aperpendicular position.

Extending up from the support A is the U- shaped standard 9, which ispreferably formed of heavy wire and is so arranged that its end 9extends across the switch 1, while pivoted or loosely secured to thisend 9 by its bent end 10 is the lever 10, which is also preferablyformed of wire, and its opposite end 10 is adapted to engaged with thegrooved roller 7 on the crank-arm 6 of the clock 4. This lever 10 isalso provided with a right-angle bent portion 11 therein for engagingwith the forward end 8' of the spring-piece 8 when this piece has beenraised into a position substantially at right angles to the surface ofthe support A.

A bell-crank lever 12, made, preferably, of wire and provided with thecoiled section 12, is fastened by such section to the support A at 12and one end, 18, is adapted to engage with the grooved roller 7 on thecrank-arm 6 of the clock A, while the opposite end, 13, is provided witha hook 13 for engaging with the forward end 8 of the spring-piece 8 whenthis piece 8 has been depressed into a position substantially parallelwith the surface of the support A.

The use and operation of myimproved automatic electric-switch-operatingdevice is as follows: The pointers on the small dials of the clocks 1 1are set at the hours at which it is desired the switches 1 and 2 are tobe closed and opened, respectively, and such small dial mechanisms arewound up by the crank-arms 6 on the shafts 5 thereof. The spring-piece 8can now be raised and held in position by the bent angle portion 11 ofthe lever 10, loosely mounted on the upper end 9 of the standard 9,engaging with the forward end 8 of the spring-piece 8, and after this isdone the end 10 on the lever 10 can be placed or drawn over onto thegrooved roller 7 on the crank-arm 6 of the clock 4. The switch 1 canthen be raised so that its handle 1 will be in the path of the end 8 onthe piece 8 when this piece is dropped or forced down to close theswitch 2. After this is done the springpiece 8 can be pressed down intoa position parallel with the face of the supportAand be retained in thisposition by means of the hook 13 on the bell-crank lever 12 engagingwith the forward end 8 on the spring-piece 8. The opposite end 13 of thelever 12 is then placed or drawn over the grooved roller 7 on thecrank-arm 6 of the clock 1, and after this is done the switch 2 isdropped down onto its terminals 3, which will thus allow its handle 2 tobe in position directly over the end 8 of the spring-piece 8, so thatwith switches 1 and 2 and their engaging and operating parts in thesepositions, as shown in Fig. 1, the circuit is broken between theseswitches and the current is unsupplied to the lights, motors, or othercurrent-receiving devices. The various parts of the apparatus now remainin these respective positions until the time when the operatingmechanisms in the clocks 4 1 are actuated by reason of the arrangementof parts incident to the setting of the hands on the small dials of saidclocks, so that when the first operation occurs in the clock 1 it willcause the crank-arm 6 on the shaft 5 of said clock to be rotated, sothat the end 10 on the lever 9 will be raised on the roller 7 of saidcrank-arm 6, and thereby release the angle portion 11 on said lever 9from engagement with the forward end 8 of the spring-piece 8, which willallow the end 10 of the lever 9 to leave its roller 7 on the arm 6 anddrop down onto the support A. This releasing of the end 10 on thespring-piece 8 will immediately allow the said spring 8 to fly downwardby its pressure and in doing so come into contact with the handle 1 ofthe switch 1 by its forward end 8, and so throws and drops said switch 1on its pivots 3, so that its blades 1 are brought into contact with thejaws 3 of the terminals 3 of said switch, and

thereby 1 allow the current to be supplied to the lights or otherreceiving devices. The next operation occurs in the clock 1-. Thecrank-arm 6 on the shaft 5 of said clock will be rotated and in itsmovement will raise the end 13 of the lever 12 on the grooved roller '7,and thereby release the hook 13 on said lever 12 from engagement withthe forward end 8 of the spring-piece 8, while the end 13 of the lever12 will leave its roller 7 on the arm 6 and drop down onto the supportA. This releasing of the end 8 of the spring 8 by the hook 13 willimmediately allow said spring to fly upward by its pressure and in doingso comes into contact with the handle 2 of the switch 2, and so raisesthe blades 2 of said switch on its pivots 3 and breaking contact betweensaid blades and the jaws 3 of the terminals 3, so as to cut off thesupply of the current to the light or the other receiving devices.

It will be evident that a single clock mechanism can be employed havingtwo alarm mechanisms thereon, if desired, and that single or double poleswitches can be used. It will also be obvious that the alarms Z) on theclocks can be done away with, if desired, and that it will be furtherunderstood that while I have illustrated and described the preferredform and arrangement of parts of my invention it will further be obviousthat the mechanical construction, as well as said arrangement, may bevaried without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificingany of its advantages.

VVhatI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with an electric switch, of an alarm-winding shaft inan alarm-clock, an arm on said winding-shaft, a spring-piece extendingover said switch in its raised position, and a lever connected to saidspringpiece and engaging with said arm, said lever having an angularportion thereon for holding said spring-piece in its raised position andfor releasing the same to automatically drop said switch at apredetermined time in making an electric circuit.

2. The combination with an electric switch, of an alarm-winding shaft inan alarm-clock, an arm on said winding-shaft, a standard, a spring-pieceextending over said switch in its raised position, and a lever looselymounted on said standard and engaging with said arm, said lever beingconnected to said spring-piece by an angular portion for holding thesame in its raised position and for releasing the same to automaticallydrop said switch at a predetermined time in making an electric circuit.

3. The combination with an electric switch, of an alarm-winding shaft inan alarn'i-clock, an arm on said winding-shaft, a standard, aspring-piece extending over said switch in its raised position, and alever loosely mounted on said standard and engaging With said arm, saidlever being connected to said spring-piece by a bent angular portion forholding the same in its raised position and for releasing the same toautomatically drop said switch at a predetermined time in making anelectric circuit.

at. The combination with a supporting-base, of an electric switch, analarm-winding shaft in an alarm-clock, an arm on said windingshaft, astandard, a spring-piece secured to said base and extending over saidswitch in its raised position, and a lever loosely mounted

